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Acupuncture can regulate both innate and adaptive immunity of IBD patients, including the balance of Th17/Treg and Th1/Th2 cells, and also modulate intestinal flora.
2022 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine A Review on the Immunomodulatory Mechanism of Acupuncture in the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Liu Z, Jiao Y, Yu T, Wang H, Zhang Y, Liu D, et al.
Review Article Acupuncture Inflammatory Bowel Disease
The methodology of the research revolved around a review of existing studies related to the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) via acupuncture. The broad scope of exploration focused on the effects of acupuncture on the immunomodulatory mechanism inherent in these patients. The review pursued a detailed study of how acupuncture directly influenced both the innate and adaptive immunity systems in IBD patients as well as its regulation on their intestinal flora.
The results discussion revealed that acupuncture had multiple immunomodulatory effects on IBD patients. On one hand, it influenced their innate immunity by regulating elements such as their intestinal epithelial barriers, toll-like receptors, NLRP3 inflammasomes, oxidative stress, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. On the other hand, it affected their adaptive immunity by modulating the balance of Th17/Treg and Th1/Th2 cells. Furthermore, an interesting revelation from the study was that acupuncture could also significantly regulate the intestinal flora of the patients.